Denying he knew Liu or had ever advocated for him, the day before a letter reveals he did exactly that

Attacked John Key for living in a leafy suburb, while living on the most expensive road in Herne Bay

Setting up a secret trust for his leadership campaign

A misleading speech on the best start policy which falsely claimed 25,000 people would get a payment they wouldn’t

Claiming his grandfather won a medal when it was his great uncle

Breaking electoral law by tweeting on BE-Day for people to vote for the Labour candidate

Posting Grant Robertson’s leadership candidacy statement as his own

A CV which had several “mistakes” in it

Stuff are also running a poll on people’s favourite gaffe. Herne Bay leads with 37%, then the secret trust on 22% and Dong Liu on 19%.

One might add on his statement today as a 9th gaffe. The Herald reports:

Labour leader David Cunliffe has issued a veiled warning to his caucus against any move against him, saying he has the support of Labour Party members and affiliates and any who break ranks could be viewed as scabs – workers who break a strike by crossing the picket line.

That’s really going to impress MPs such as Andrew Little – a lifelong unionist. Calling someone a scab is one of the worst insults in the Labour movement, and implying anyone who thinks Cunliffe is not performing well enough as Labour Leader is a scab will go down like cold sick with them.

I understand that two different Labour MPs have confirmed Grant Robertson has the numbers to roll Cunliffe. In fact Grant has had them for a few weeks. But the issue is whether Grant wants the leadership now, or to take it after the election. His preference is to wait, rather than do a Mike Moore. But as his colleagues consider how many of them are set to lose their seats – his hand may be forced.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, June 19th, 2014 at 9:00 am and is filed under NZ Politics.
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I would add this to the list: When asked on the telly last night why we should trust him, all he could say was that he works hard for his constituents. He should have seen a question like that coming, and learned the difference between being honest and being industrious.

“……Calling someone a scab is one of the worst insults in the Labour movement, and implying anyone who thinks Cunliffe is not performing well enough as Labour Leader is a scab will go down like cold sick with them…….”

It’s not a warning from Cunliffe about being rolled……..it’s a warning from Cunliffe about what he’ll say and do after he’s been rolled.

The Rudd playbook.

btw. the aussie union bosses call people scabs if they even THINK of talking about HISTORY within the union/labor – maybe THAT’s the warning from Cunnliffe – “I know shit!!”

As a subset of the property in Herne Bay, what about him banging on about Key’s wealth when his annual family income (leader of the opposition plus partner in boutique law firm acting for corporates) must only be dollar or two, if any, south of a million?

I see they’re talking abut replacing him with Grant Robertson. He will not rescue the party either. Something is mortally wrong with Labour’s leadership selection process. They must be wanting to spend another term or two in opposition.

But, but, ‘THE WORKERS’ we’re doing absolutely EVERYTHING for the ‘WORKER’S’ (even living in ‘Two Million dollar’ houses and indulging in ‘capitalist’ activities’ ; and no, we’re NOT being hypocritical, just ‘creating ‘capital’ for ‘the cause’).

(The fact that we have never actually worked a day in our lives, have absolutely no engagement or empathy with them and live like ‘Rich Pricks’ is of course totally irrelevant; WE say so, therefore it IS correct)

BTW: In respect of their attitude to ‘The Worker’s’ and use of ‘Wealth’, has anyone else noticed the striking similarities between the activities of the NZLP leadership and those of North Korea, Soviet Russia and the PRC? Perhaps there is a common theme…?

The election is 3 months tomorrow. Robertson will not save Labour but the situation looks like minimising the losses. Rudd left the ALP a viable alternative. The way things are now it looks like every male list MP ( because of the female quota rules) will lose their seat except for David Parker who is Deputy.

In the past I’ve thought people who cannot win should be rolled at the first opportunity, even if it only contributes to appearances of disorganization that lose more votes, because effective leaders shouldn’t be scared of losing so much it prevents them from taking charge when they are right to do so, for the lost battle is not the war best fought with better leaders.

But Labour having apparently erred in panic with dumping Shearer in favour of Cunliffe will likely be a little gun shy now.

Robertson is badly tainted as well because he’s been even worse than Cunliffe in attacking J Collins over links to Chinese and alleging corruption.

Only if Robertson has skeletons that will make a hypocrite of him. If he hasn’t then hammering the corruption angle remains solid politics, even useful for him internally if it is a sword he can hold over his own sides head if need be.

Robertson’s big advantage is that he will be an “authentic” leader for the Labour party. He is an urbanised, university “educated”, homosexual bureaucrat and so can honestly represent the the 20-25% odd of the electorate that readily identify with him. It would be a huge contrast from the “working man” charade by Cunliffe and his plainly phony “smoko rooms”, “yer mate yer”, “oh fukin A” comments.

The problem with Grant waiting is two-fold. One a really bad defeat will cause some of his own supporters to lose their seats, second who knows what will happen in the future. In the UK David Milliband waited, then found his moment had passed. The crown doesn’t fall to you, it’s got to be taken.

If he moves now, he’s blameless for the certain defeat. If he gets them up to 30% he can claim credit for saving seats and giving them a base to build from; a change of leader could be the difference between people like Kelvin Davis being an MP or not. Defeat now doesn’t taint him, he gets another go in 2017 regardless.

It also gives him a chance to control the labour rankings and reward his supporters with list positions.

Rudd led Labor to a certain defeat in Australia, but he mitigated the scale of it, it would have been much worse under Julia.

The range of choice that the parties present to the voter is like the range of steering lock on a car.

At the moment, given National and Labour, the voter only has the choice of turning the steering wheel about 3 degrees either way. Hopefully, with the Conservatives presenting a solid range of policies, the voter will gain the choice of many more degrees to the right. And if the Greens can offer plausible policies, the voter will gain many more degrees to the left.

It’s hard to steer New Zealand when the steering wheel moves so little either way.

As much as I believe the Current Labour party is totally unfit to become a government the absence of a strong opposition with credible alternative policies is bad for democracy albeit what passes for democracy in many western countries is in reality an elected dictatorship were the power of appointment by a PM grants the PM power beyond that voters find acceptable if only they understood the ramifications.

“Just heard on ZB, the Caucus Whips are doing the numbers on Cunliffe”

If Robertson is the new leader it could be interesting. Family First is have a Family Forum on 4 July. They have invited John Key, David Cunliffe, Winston Peters and Colin Craig. Only Cunliffe has not confirmed. I wonder if Robertson would come and if so if he would bring his wife.

I feel sorry for Cunliffe, because the problem isn’t just him but because his party is so utterly incompetent. Consider the attempted Oravida attack. A normal political party before making this would (a) ask the parliamentary library for all media on Oravida, Liu and his wife; (b) had OIAs to relevant government departments on Oravida, Liu and his wife; and (c) check the Labour Party for any connections/donations from Oravida, Liu and his wife. This is just basic political research. You don’t make an attack on the opposing party without first doing basic research. Incredibly, the Labour Party didn’t do this.
I am just continually amazed at how completely amateurish the Labour Party has become.

No one is going to move on Cunliffe’s leadership before the election- you don’t volunteer to be captain when the ship has already hit the rocks and is sinking, you make for the life boats. Various Labour list MP’s will right now be busy securing employment for after the election mostly in Unions, quango’s, charitable organisations, Community Trusts, academic posts and if they’re really desperate: teaching etc.

Yes a number of Labour list MP’s will be missing their $150,000 plus pay-packets after this year’s election but those still young enough will be anticipating a return once Cunliffe quietly resigns post 2014 and John Key looks forward to retirement from politics 3 years from now after what will be 9 years of being PM.

Question – Following the Election will Robertson have the support of Helen Kelly, because that is what matters, not what his Caucus and Rainbow followers want. It is still well believed in Parliamentary circles that he has been behind two leadership destabilisations along with his camp followers. Clark, Simpson, and their coterie trained him well in subversion.
After the Party changes it is the Unions that matter not the Caucus.
It would not surprise me to see Kelly drafted in – she does not have to be an MP remember, with Little as her Parliamentary Deputy.

If Labour replace Cunliffe after the election with Robertson, they will be in opposition for a long time. The Country had enough homosexual shenanigans under Helen Clark and would not stand for a homosexual PM and a male “first lady” representing us Internationally.

DPF: You say Robertson’s hand could be “forced”…surely no-one can MAKE him do a Mike Moore?? And I agree with everyone else that it would be senseless for him to take over now and take a fall he doesn’t need to take..

Re the Leadership provisions regarding Labour’s leadership available from tomorrow. Couldn’t a leadership search be a good way of electioneering? Plenty of press interest etc everyone is going to be politicking anyway.

ROJ – “To be sure that Government is held to account, we need a functioning Opposition.”

But the Labour “opposition” haven’t been holding the government to account, for the last six years. They have been focussing on what lefties apparently live for, and that is to dig dirt and throw it around, and try and get themselves into power. Was there any considered critical analysis of the governments policies over those years – no there wasnt. They would make vague. generalisations anout something being “bad” and then they would usually talk about repealing the policy when they got in.

The classic was probably the glass of milk saga – what the hell were they trying to prove. To me, it proved they have nothing else.

No, Labour just focussed on the their tribe is better than the other tribe, gotcha politics.

The difference between the Mike Moore situation and where this sorry lot find themselves is Moore got to be Prime Minister, with the associated lift he got in terms of his chances with the World Trade Organisation.

I’m not clear on how Cunliffes letter asking for a processing timeframe equals ‘advocacy’ for Bill Liu for which Cunliffe should resign? Looks like a bit of a ‘beat up’ to me. Far more importantly, in my view, is why NZ PM John Key still has confidence in his Minister of Justice Judith Collins when her ‘Organised Crime & Anti-Corruption Legislation Bill’ – which would entrench a domestic anti-corruption legislative framework in place – hasn’t even been introduced into the House? Still waiting for mainstream media to give this the public attention it deserves – given that NZ is perceived to be the least corrupt country in the word and all that CRAP? Penny Bright

Penny – you’ve clearly never been a diligent employee of a government (if you had you’d have a stronger grasp of the issue of “cross-subsidisation” and the fact your non-payment of rates simply increases the price everyone else has to pay).

The Cunliffe letter is classic passive-aggressive political pressure, which any immigration official would take very seriously if it came across their desk.

1: The Letterhead

2: In identifying the constituent is concerned, Cunliffe himself is implicitly echoing that concern.

3: The comments around the value of Liu’s business are a clear indication that the MP thinks this is a highly valued applicant.

4: Then the platitude “i know you guys are busy”, followed by the “but”.

Any official who had the slightest understanding of how the game is played would read this letter as:

1:Shit just got political on you public servants.
2: This is an important donor, whoops, I mean “man”.
3: Hurry the fuck up and make the right decision (which I do not need to spell out for you idiots)

I’m focused on the BIG stuff. How can NZ be ‘perceived’ to be the least corrupt country in the world – when NZ has yet to RATIFY the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) – we can’t because CORRUPT (in my considered opinion) Minister of Justice Judith Collins has yet to introduce her ‘Organised Crime & Anti-Corruption Legislation Bill’ – despite having promised Transparency International NZ in writing (7 August 2013) that this Bill would be introduced in 2013? How useless is Judith Collins as Minister of Justice? How useless is PM John
Key defending yet another indefensible Minister? Penny Bright